A Moscow court banned their activities in the country, while making it easier to prosecute supporters and associates of the band. Almost fifteen years have passed since the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Nadya Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina for their performance from inside a Moscow cathedral. The fact the group – now fronted primarily by Tolokonnikova – have continued their assault on the corrupt machinations of the Kremlin in the years since their release serves as a beautifully stubborn act of defiance, and now their debut album, CYKA, is finally upon us.
Sonically, Pussy Riot’s music has shifted more and more towards the industrial and the electronic – a move first trialled successfully on the chilling 2015 single “I Can’t Breathe”. It’s certainly a far cry from the ramshackle riot grrrl punk that defined their very early releases, but it’s allowed them to create music that has become increasingly personal and affecting. However, the tracks here that do reference their earlier musical incarnations – while visceral and thrilling – feel incongruous and out of place as a result.
The vast majority of CYKA sees them further refining the formula that made them such vital voices in music to begin with. “CANDY DOPAMINE” – a glitchy pop-metal collaboration with Avenged Sevenfold – pushes them into exciting new territory, elevated by some explosive fretwork, but it’s the hypnotic opener “GODSLEFT” that leaves the bigger impression. Featuring a seismic Tolokonnikova vocal delivery that ghosts between devilish whispers and curdling screams, the lyrics suggest a landscape where hope has all but perished under the endless tyranny of Putin’s regime: “Ashes fill the sky / They say raindrops never die / They say dead men learn to fly / I see sorrow in your eyes.”
Interestingly, the record closes with a marvellous trifecta that evoke the sound of an apocalyptic rave, like a final, despairing act of rebellion before encroaching forces close in. “Cancel Me” is punctuated by a section of delicious, bludgeoning synths and the chorus of “BLIZZARD” erupts into spiralling, blissful chaos. Meanwhile, the tentatively titled “OUTRO” is one of the most personal moments on CYKA. Dedicated to Tolokonnikova’s mother who passed away last year, the track finds her reckoning with the heartbreaking costs of activism, wedded to a hazy electronic instrumental.
In truth, it’s something of a miracle that Pussy Riot still exist at all. Many of their members have been jailed, poisoned, or forced into exile – including Tolokonnikova. The band have since evolved into a different kind of musical beast, but one whose burning, relentless desire for justice, freedom and a better world has remained completely undiminished.
